The Lavender Museum

At the crossroads of the Luberon tourist routes, a traditional farmhouse invites you to discover the history of the true lavender of Provence. The Museum founded by the family Lincelé, lavender growers since 1890 allows to share know-how and passion of this queen flower. Today, Sophie and Jack surrounded by their team develop thematic tours and workshops to address the different uses of lavender in aromatherapy, perfumes, cooking and organic and natural cosmetics.

The place to be in the summer

Many activities for the whole family ! The program of the Fête votive announces it loud and clear. As a newcomer, I expect much more ! It's summer, the evening is sweet and I can hear a background noise.

Almost every village has its saint patron day. Originally, the fete was dedicated to the village patron saint : Saint Loup in Murs, Saint Louis in Ménerbes, Saint Jean-Baptiste in Joucas, Saint Etienne in Saint Saturnin lès Apt, Saint Symphorien in Bonnieux, ...

The bright decorations, the street lights, the laser effects, all attract me. But, I wonder where to begin. So, I'll go as I feel.

The children have already spotted the merry-go-round, teenagers look fo festive attractions, thrills guaranteed.

The funfair

At the fair, the music is in full swing. The stalls are colorful, happy, noisy. Games especially, hook-a-duck, riffle shooting, ... poor ducks. However, I win a bright fluffy toy for my little girl.

Fragrances of sugar, donuts, grilled sausages mix. The "chichi", the golden donut is essential. We have no choice, but taste it. Colourful lollipops, nougats, candy apples compete. The atmosphere does not weaken. Adults meet around the fete reception meal, a traditional "aioli", this time. I'm told it's a giant aioli with everything you need. A good appetite is recommended.

When the crowd dances

The open-air dance begins. Inhabitants and visitors of all generations gather as soon as the band plays. A child dances in the arms of his father, some girls and some boys give a collective show. The older ones are waiting for songs of the past. Everybody dances almost through the night.

For the young, village fetes are part of life, much like a rite of passage. For the older ones, it is a plain happiness shared in the respect of traditions and conviviality. It suits averyone.

Let's do it again tomorrow !

For foodies

Three hundred square meters dedicated to candied fruit, the specialty that has made Apt famous.

This is the gourmet moment of my vacation ! And it's free.

I immediately spot the tasting table. All products may, ... and must absolutely be tested before buying directly from the factory ! And there are quantities, ... Candied melons, peaches, clementines, pears, apricots, ... All fruits can be candied. There are also fruit pastes, Amarena cherries, nougats, calissons, nuggets: real candies made to decorate the preparations, but which are chewed gently (it's also good for the throat!).

In the "museum", we can learn why Apt is the capital of candied fruit. From Antiquity to today, the secrets of confectionary are revealed to us. The company is unveiled: Aptunion is the largest candied fruit factory in the world and counts among its customers some of the largest international agribusiness companies.

A morning take-off

The Colorado Provencal is still asleep. It is 6 a.m. but the early bird catches the worm.

In the middle of a field, Hervé Maucci spreads a 28 meters long canvas. The fans are turned on. And it grows and grows below the sun rise.

The passengers seem impatient: an entire hour flying over the ochers! It is a first for me... in a hot-air balloon. Since 1783, the brilliant Montgolfier brothers have given a dream to generations of adventurers and poets with a balloon.

I am reminded flame and heat will make it take off.

Everyone is aboard in the small vessel: a wicker basket that accommodates up to 12 people. Hervé the pilot starts the four burners, the ball rises slowly, very slowly. The ground is moving away, the sky is mine! No jerks, it is incredibly steady.

We can see the Luberon hilltop villages Rustrel, Caseneuve and its fortress, the lavender grid patterns, vineyards and wheat fields. Below, the colored ochers, hoodoos, cliffs as cut by a giant artist. Some early-morning walkers even wave to me!

We rise again, almost up to 1200 meters. It is so quiet, it seems barely real, the world is so small.

But time goes by. We are looking for an old field to land and the wind makes the decision (if necessary, the basket keeps propane reserves for more autonomy). Loosing altitude, we rely on the expertise of the pilot who knows how to fly using the air currents.

Vol-Terre car followed by road. The hot-air balloon lands with a surprising softness and we all happily take part in packing the gear. The sun is now up.

As a souvenir, Hervé gives everyone a beautiful flying diploma to exhibit home with pride!

As for me I am going to quickly look for a Jules Verne novel.

The Pont Julien

Do you know that the Pont Julien has been used for road traffic until 2005 !

If I were a Gallo-Roman trader living in Narbonnaise Gaul (around 120 BC), I will have crossed the Pont Julien to go to Rome or to the Spanish provinces. Equipped with my of Vicerello itinerary, the "Michelin" map of the time, I have all the useful information: lodges, relays and distances in miles; the shortest and safest route.

Soldiers, civil servants, merchants, travelers, pilgrims, the imperial post office, travel on the Via Domitia, which is already very busy. Thanks to the texts and the archaeological research, it was put together on almost all of its course from the Rhone to the Col du Montgenèvre. It is a public road, maintained by the Empire. At the approach of cities, this route, the oldest in France is 5 to 6 meters wide, and paved inside. This is the case near Apta Julia (Apt) and Cabellio (Cavaillon). Out of town, the road is covered with gravel. The layout is made of rectilinear segments in plain and adapted with a good practical sense to the ground conditions. Every mile (1480m), a column-shaped stone is erected. There were also roadside stops, such as "Ad Fines" (boundary lines) located at the edge of Apt and Cavaillon, between "Albici" and "Cavari".

Structures made of stone or wood equipped the way. Consul Domitius Ahenobarbus built the Pont Julien.

This work of art is one of the best preserved Roman bridges. Located on the Calavon, the bridge is firmly anchored on a rocky outcrop. More than 80m long, 6m wide and 11m high, it is composed of three semicircular arches, the central arch being higher gives the structure a donkey like shape. Large arched openings are arranged to facilitate the evacuation of water during floods. The work is made of local limestone (from Luberon quarries) with the use of wooden or metal spikes embedded in lead (the holes can be seen). The work is preserved in its entirety.

The name "Pont Julien" has been attested since the Middle Ages. It is related to the name "Apta Julia" (Apt), founded between 45 and 27 BC. JC. Julia's title refers to the emperor, Caesar. It is the only city described as "Julia" in the Empire on the route from Rome to Cadiz.

The bridge was built in the first decades of our era. In constant use since, it has undergone over the centuries only punctual repairs as in 1789.

Classified Historical Monument in 1914, this bridge is not adapted to the traffic of our time. Thus, today, the building is highlighted and another bridge allows vehicles to cross the Calavon between Apt and Bonnieux.

Secrets of distillation

Moreover, at the distillery, I was told that the heat favours the rise of oil in the flower. During distillation, the water vapor releases the essence contained in the glands. The first distillations were made with fire : the water was mixed with the flowers. Then, steam distillation arrived. And since from the 90s, to improve productivity, the technique "en vert broyé" was developped. The harvest is chopped in a containe directly mounted on the boiler. 100 to 120 kg are needed to obtain 1 kg of a golden yellow essence.

On the path to discovering the garden...

Conservatory of forgotten vegetables and rare plants, the "Potager d'un curieux" created by Jean-Luc Daneyrolles is a farm and a paradise for gardeners. In the vegetable garden, he collects and produces seeds respectul for the seasons and the environment. Located in the village of Saignon in the Luberon, since 1984, Jean-Luc Daneyrolles has become a reference in his field. He first transformed a hill into an exuberant garden that looks like him and mixes old flowers and strange vegetables, pickaxe handles and shards of bottles, colored cans, old watering cans or buckets having suffered the ravages of time. Paths separate the garden into vegetable parts where flowers, fruits, leaves and roots are listed according to their uses. The ground of the paths is sometimes covered with fragments of ancient tiles, found on the oppidum which occupies part of the farm, pieces of Apt's earthenware, pebbles and stones. A modest garden shed houses the usual garden tools.

Passionate about ancient vegetables, every year Jean Luc-Daneyrolles grows among others, more than 50 varieties of tomatoes. The "apple of love" suspected of evil powers in the 16th century, is now the essential vegetable of Provencal cuisine. Common varieties are known, from tiny cherry tomatoes to perfect round tomatoes. In the vegetable garden, you will find the real Marmande, the Roma, the Banana, the White Cherry, the Green Grape...: an extraordinary diversity of forms, colors and flavors to make yours again.

And no one knows salads like this partisan gardener... The chefs call Jean-Luc Daneyrolles for the design of their vegetable garden. He also creates gardens and vegetable gardens in schools and trains future gardeners. Author of several books on the art of creating gardens and forgotten vegetables, his goal is to save this living heritage and to pass on the diversity of seeds, outside museums or laboratories.

In your turn, you can today enter this extraordinary garden.

Freedom for everybody with an electric bike

The whole family, my husband, my two teenagers and I, join our guide at Luberon Bike Shop : a colorful journey awaits us for half a day. Electric bike is a first for us all. Our guide puts us at ease for the handling. As soon as the first kilometers, a feeling of freedom overruns us, we take small roads, then, we find ourselves on trails.

The adventure begins, ...

Quite a change of scenery !

The ocher hills are exceptional and along the way we discover sand roses, a jewel of the hills, to leave imperatively in their spot ! The Massif des Ocres magic places are to be respected and preserved.

The kilometers go by smoothly, I cannot believe it : biking with little effort is fun; a treat for the teenagers !

How about a real family outing?

Ready?

Let’s go to the  Colorado Provencal with mom and dad!

Before leaving: cowboy hat and bottle of water needed... but above all: no white sneakers! You will be thankful upon return.

At first, an intense green forest, where Indians and outlaws are lurking, but little by little colors are revealed.

The miners and farmers created this splendid site by digging the hills. Traces and remains are still there. And yet, one can easily imagine a genuine Western in Technicolor, shot right here by John Ford or Sergio Leone. Easy to be an Apache, the color is everywhere and makes a good make-up! It is the ocher rush! Head to the Sahara, the fairy chimneys, the Barriès circus... magical, enchanting, wonderful sites and freedom to run, relax, breathe and feast your eyes!